Demo Origins

Chapter 5 - I Was Taken to Another World

"Wait, you can tell me that?"

I was just testing the waters; I didn't think he would actually reply to what I said.

"I mean, wasn't that obvious? Even a thirteen-year-old could figure that out."

"Ohh..." The guide pointing that out now made complete sense.

"Anyway, that's your allowance, keep it safe." After he said that he stopped walking and faced me.

"And no matter what, don't lose the pouch."

"Umm...okay."

I hadn't even opened it so I didn't know what kind of coins were inside.

I'll just put it away for now then.

"Next up is this."

The same magical phenomenon that occurred earlier happened again—a glow appeared out of thin air, but this time, instead of a pouch, it was a...

"Jewelry?"

It was a string-like object with jewelry hanging from it. It was a means of beautification worn by the rich in Demo City. Mostly by women.

The weird part, though, was that this one had three different pieces of jewelry on the string. The ones the women wore back in Demo City usually had only one.

"It's a pendant. A trinity pendent. Wear it around your neck at all times. Never take it off."

I snatched the pendant from the air just before it could drop this time.

The cool metal brushed my fingertips, sending a faint chill through my skin. Three pieces of jewelry hung from it, glowing with a sinister, blood-red hue and casting an eerie light across my palm. The pendant wasn't held by string—it was a finely crafted chain, gleaming with a rich gold luster.

The chain's intricate pattern caught my eye, almost forming symbols or letters, though I couldn't understand them. It felt like the links hid a message, just out of reach, hinting there was more to this pendant than it seemed.

I immediately wore the pendant around my neck, and it shone with a bright gold color before dimming and disappearing.

"It's gone?!" I said, a bit jumpily.

"You know, Jay, you've seen a lot of weird things by now. I'm amazed you still get surprised so easily."

"Sorry...I'm just not in the right state of mind right now."

The words the guide had said to me earlier had taken an emotional toll, and I was still trying to recover.

"Whatever. Now for the last item...it's not really an item, but a skill."

"A skill? Like farming or blacksmithing?" I asked, perplexed.

"No, not that. Don't worry about it; the system will handle that explanation. You'll get the skill once you start your journey. Hmm...what else? I think that's about it."

His eyes suddenly narrowed as he spoke in a calm voice, but I could sense a serious intent behind his calmness.

"Remember everything I've told you. Believe in yourself and believe in the system. It will do its best to keep you alive. But it will need your full cooperation to make that happen."

"Give your all to every mission you take on, and your purpose will reveal itself. Trust in humans and living beings a little more—you might be surprised by what you discover. You don't have to take my word for it—I'm not asking you to—but the truth is, you don't really have a choice."